Duncan Hines worked as a traveling salesman for more than three decades, in a time long before franchised restaurants and hotels. He kept meticulous notes on which establishments fed him well or provided him with a good night's sleep, and wrote and self-published popular travel guides, offering readers his tasteful advice on roadside diners and hotels. Hines' published his first cookbook in 1939, and with annual updates, his guidebooks and cookbooks made him famous.

In 1947 he was approached by an entrepreneur, Roy H. Park, who wanted to put Hines' well-respected name on kitchen products from pickles to appliances. Their company, Hines-Park Foods, made both men millionaires, and the Duncan Hines brand name was sold to Procter & Gamble. Hines died in 1959, and his guidebooks were discontinued after 1962. The cookbooks are still in print, but to modern diners, Duncan Hines is just a brand of cake mix (now owned by Pinnacle Foods).